Flashlight attachment



Sept. 2,- 1941. M. J. ZIMMER- FLASHLIGHT ATTACHMENT Filed April 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l r-IIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIII.

Ill HI INVENTOR. Myron .Zimmer BY ATTORNEY.

' Sept. 2, 1941. M M R 2,254,257

FLASHLIGHT ATTACHMENT Filed April 17, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Myron J.Zimmer ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 2, 1941 FLASHLEGHT ATTACHMENT Myron J. Zimmer, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Edward Katzinger Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 17, 1939, Serial No. 263,167

,(Cl. 2401G.6)

7 Claims.

lens in connection with which the reflector maybe readily and conveniently joined to or detached from the lens.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an attachment as aforesaid having a surface in protruding relation to the front face of the lens to provide a bearing on which the flashlight may rest in equilibrium lens-downward on a supporting surface to prevent engagement of the face of the lens with said surface.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a flashlight lens in which the light transmitting means is not obscured by the bearing surface when at rest in equilibrium lens-downward on a supporting surface.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device of this character that is inexpensive to manufacture and yet is durable and of pleasing and novel appearance.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be apparent, this invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a side view of a flashlight embodying the attachment forming the subject of this invention, with parts in section.

Fig. 2 is a front View of the reflector illustrating the construction of the edge portion.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of the head end of a flashlight equipped with an at tachrnent as contemplated by this invention but having a modified type of reflector fastening embodied therein.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary front View of the refiector as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View of a flashlight equipped with the present attachment, illustrating the operative relation of parts of the attachment when in lens-downward position on a supporting surface.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of the head end of a flashlight provided with an attachment as contemplated by this inilk vention but having a modified typeof reflector fastening construction.

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 6 illustrating a further modified type of reflector fastening arrangement.

Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of the lens construction shown in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the reflector shown in Fig. 7.

The flashlight shown in Fig. 1 represents one type of portable lamp in connection with which the present attachment is readily applicable and consists of a metal conductive tubular case It provided with an integral bottom closur H and open at its top or front end. The closure H con- Arranged at the open or forward end of the casing Ill and cooperating with the attachment contemplated by this invention and more particularly described hereinafter, is a reflector IS. A lamp socket I6 is carried by the reflector, in which socket a lamp bulb l! is adapted to be mounted. A spring contact l8, attached by means of a rivet l9 or the like, to the base of a cup 26 threaded as at 2! to the socket i6, is engageable with the base terminal of the lamp bulb H. The contact I8 and rivet 19 are separated, one from the other, and from opposite faces of the cup Ed, by insulating disks or washers 22. Thus the contact l8 and rivet 19 are in non-conductive relation tothe socket l6 and the side terminal of the bulb H.

The attachment with which this invention is chiefly concerned consists of a lens 25 of transparent or translucent plastic material or similar substance, having a rim 26. The lens 25 is preferably removably supported on and fastened to the casing l8, and to this end the rim 25 is provided with a cylindrical extension 29 having an externally threaded portion N for engagement with threads 28 on the interior of the casing l0. As shown in the drawings, the juncture of the rim 2t and the extension 29 defines an oflset or shoulder 30, against which shoulder the forward edge of the casing it is adapted to rest flush when the lens 25 is screwed home thereon. Thus the lens 25 is adapted to be supported on and fastened to the casing in without the use of separate devices such as holding ring or bezel members heretofore commonly used.

It will be further observed from the drawings that the rim 2 5 is preferably knurled, as by means of concave recess or notches 32 formed in circumferentially spaced arrangement about the periphery of the bead. These notches 32 provide finger holds through which the lens may be more easily gripped and manipulated, as well as furnish added ornamental quality.

In order to detachably secure the reflector 15 to the lens 25, provision is made of a cylindrical recess defined by the inner side of the extension 29, and a shoulder 3'1 spaced inwardly from the edge of said extension. The inner side of the extension 29 is provided with threads 35 which are adapted to engage with a radially extending flange 31 carried by the leading or forward end of the reflector 15. As shown in Fig. 2, the flange 31 is cut slightly out-of-round to create a flange portion at diametrically opposed edges of the reflector adapted to engage the threads 35, with a relatively narrow flange portion therebetween for clearing said threads. By means of this construction, it is unnecessary to distort the flange 31 when feeding the reflector forwardly and inwardly of the extension 29'preparatory'to positioning the reflector flange 37 in abutment with the shoulder 34. Obviously, the innermost screw thread 35 and the shoulder 34 define a keyway or groove in which the flange 31 is releasably retained to maintain the reflector and lens in operative assembled relation. At the same time, the cylindrical extension 29 provides an eflicient spacing or insulating medium with reference to the casing ID and the reflector and bulb carried thereby.

The electrical circuit between the case I and the reflector i and the bulb side terminal, may be closed in any suitable manner, such as by means of a bar 38 slidable on the inner surface of the case It) to engage the reflector l5 as shown in Fig. 1, referring to the dotted line portion. Operation of the bar 38 from circuit-on to circuit-off positions, and vice versa, is obtainable by means of a button 39 on the outside of the casing 13, said button 39 having connecting portions 40 projecting through a suitable slot or slots in the case aforesaid and attached to said bar 38. As a consequence, the circuit of the bulb I1 is completed as follows: from base terminal of bulb l'l, contact l8, rivet l9, dry cells l4 and I3, spring I2, closure H, case it, bar 33,

reflector l5, socket l6, and side terminal of the bulb l1.

As illustrated in Fig. 3, the edge of the reflector l5 and the portion of the lens cooperating therewith, is of modified construction. In this form of assembly, the inner side of the extension 29 is smooth and inclined downwardly and forwardly from its rear edge so that the entrance to said extension 29 is constricted relative to the diameter thereof adjacent to the rear face of the lens. Accordingly, the flange 42 of the reflector is provided with a rearwardly extending cylindrical skirt &3. The dimensions of the entrance to the extension 29, it will be observed, are slight- 1y smaller than the diameter of the skirted portion of the reflector. To permit the skirt 43 to be compressed for entry therein, the same is provided with circumferentially spaced notches or slots 44. In this manner, the reflector may be easily and readily snapped from engagement with the lens to remove the same therefrom, and vice versa.

It will be noted that the thickness or cross section of the rim 2G is such as to form a strong, annular frame for the lens and at the same time provides a suitable bearing surface in protruding relation to the front face of the lens 25 through which the flashlight may be placed lensdownward on a supporting surface without scratching or bumping the face of the lens.

As shown in Fig. 5, when the flashlight is placed lens-downward on a supporting surface, the rim 26 provides a light transmitting portion through which the user may determine that the circuit for lighting the lamp is open. This is a decided advantage over flashlights using the conventional metal bezel or lens ring which obscures or conceals the light when the lamp is disposed in this position on a table or the like, permitting inadvertent waste of battery current.

Fig. 6 illustrates an example of a threaded fastening of the reflector l5 and the lens 25. In this construction, a skirt corresponding to the skirt 43 shown in Fig. 3 is provided with rolled threads 49, engageable with the threaded portion 35 of the lens extension 29.

Fig. 7 discloses a reflector fastening arrangement wherein a series of radial flanges or keys 45 are provided on the forward rim of the reflector, and radial lugs A! are provided on the inner side of the lens extension 29 in spaced relation to the shoulder 35 to define an annular keyway 48 in which the reflector keys 45 are adapted to fit. Bosses 4B protruding from the forward face of the keys 45 form wedges adapted to bear against the shoulder 34 so as to yieldably retain and hold the reflector and lens in fixed assembly.

What is claimed is:

l. A flashlight comprising the combination of a casing, an attachment therefor including a lens provided with integral means engageable with said casing for direct connection thereto, a reflector having a non-circular radial flanged portion, and means formed on said lens to removably carry said reflector including an annular key way into which said radial flanged portion of the reflector may fit.

2. A flashlight comprising the combination of a threaded tubular casing, an attachment therefor including a lens formed to directly engage the threaded portion of said casing, a reflector having radiall extending keys, a keyway formed in said lens in which said reflector keys are adapted to flt, and a boss formed on said keys through which wedging engagement is obtained between the keys and the keyway aforesaid.

3. A flashlight comprising the combination of a threaded tubular casing, an attachment therefor including a lens formed to directly engage the threaded portion of said casing, a reflector having radially extending keys, a key way formed in said lens in which said reflector keys are adapted to fit, and means formed on said keys through which wedging engagement is obtained between the keys and the keyway aforesaid.

4. A flashlight comprising the combination of a casing, an attachment therefor including a lens provided with integral means engageable with said casing for direct connection thereto, a reflector having circumferentially spaced keys extending radially from its forward edge, a keyway formed in said lens in which said reflector keys are adapted to have limited clearance for movement of the reflector axially of said lens and progressively limited clearance for movement of the reflector angularly to the axis of said lens.

5. A device according to claim 4 in which the lens is provided with an integral bearing sursaid reflector keys are adapted to be seated and to be turned on an axis coincident with the axis of the recess, and means for securing the lens and reflector against relative displacement including circumferentially spaced elements on said lens adapted to overlap and engage said reflector keys when the latter are seated in said recess in a predetermined position of rotation, and adapted to clearcsaid reflector keys when 10 the latter are in a different position of rotation.

MYRON J. ZIMMER. 

